Dubai Land Department’s (DLD) new Building Classification System (BCS) has so far enabled the surveying of 20,000 plots of land, and more than 120,000 property units including apartments, offices, retail, schools, and public amenities.
The new Building Classification System utilises state-of-the-art tablet computers to gather and verify data on site and will eventually lead to the creation of a complete database of every single unit in Dubai as well as a star rating for each building.
The ultimate aim of the project, which is overseen by Dubai Executive Council, is to ensure a smoother user experience for the Ejari system as well a more detailed calculation method for rental and service charge increases as mandated by the law, the DLD said in a statement.
The system is designed to move the real estate sector towards a more transparent and reliable Dubai, in line with the Dubai Plan 2021, and will benefit governmental and regulatory bodies as well as tenants, landlords, investors and businesses.
Director General of DLD Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, said: “Our whole project team is extremely proud to see our technical developments and hard work bearing fruit. We are confident that the training programme our engineers have conducted, in tandem with system technicians, will guarantee delivery of the project’s core aims.”
The classification process starts with a building plot being assigned to an inspector via a GIS-expert administrator. The inspector then visits the site on foot and conducts the survey of the building, going into every floor and taking pictures of the building.
Inspectors are trained to maintain and respect the privacy of the building occupants in line with the law and entry is restricted to the common areas of the building only. The inspection ends with a list of all the units and floors in the building as well as filling out the 60-point questionnaire.
Director of DLD Technical Affairs Department, Mohamad Khodr Al-Dah, said: “The department is constantly striving to improve its services and streamline customer procedures by introducing intelligent and sophisticated systems, combined with field work. We anticipate that these efforts will support the Dubai 2021 vision and ensure a smooth delivery of land classifications.”